I collected a pretty beat-up piece of rosemary about 6 weeks ago from our patio garden at work. It was 15 inches tall at the time and I was able to keep a root mass that was 2/3 the size of the foliage when I dug it out. I put it in a 5 inch nursery pot with normal potting soil, and reduced it's height and foliage. It's sitting in a windowsill with my Ficus retusa where it gets good sunlight all day long. It seems to be doing well and is slowly putting out new buds. As far a I know I haven't done anything special so, maybe certain cultivars of the species are more suited for a bonsai life-style?

I believe I can agree with that. The first cultivar, which I have had for about 15 years or so. Does not respond. So I use it for cooking. In fact in trying to hard clip it's companion, same cultivar, it died.

I have two new ones, one grows densely, like a Christmas tree, and responds well to being clipped. The other is more prone to wiggling, and grows easily.Will probably take at least 5 more years to see anything however.Later.Khaimraj

On our side I am aware of two varieties, one which blooms and one which does not. I have only tried with the ones that don't bloom.My first attempt was a miserable failure that started with about three plants only one of which is still alive. I treated them like other plants and quickly learned how finnicky they were. Where I was living at the time, they had too much shade based on the size of the yard, in their new home the lone survivor gets full sun for most of the day but has shade in the morning and from about 4:00 pm onwards. It seems to be doing well, but it grows in the wiggly way you mentioned.

A friend of mine got some recently that are fairly large, so I'm on the lookout for larger specimens as the ones I had started as small stuff from a Nursery. At some markets you will find vendors from the south of the island (which is much drier) selling bundles of rosemary which indicates that much larger plants exist, its just to locate them. So that's the next mission........will show in a few years.

On our side, the earliest stock of rosemary came from Paramin, a world up in the mountains of the Northern Range.Everyone there, lives on a ridge facing the Atlantic ocean and a 4 wheel drive is the standard.It is very cool and breezy in that zone. Try as I might, no cuttings from those plants would grow at a lower elevation.

The ones we are getting now must be from Miami, and not Spain or Portugal or France, as the ones from Paramin probably came from, maybe back in the 1800's to 1900's.Anyhow, the new ones grow and maybe one type will like being bonsai-ed.

Paramin is where our green seasonings come from. You plant standing up and there is one Apple tree growing up there, if it is still alive, but no fruit, as far as I know.Hey you want to lend us some of your mountains' height ? -chuckle.Later.Stay Well.Khaimraj

I am new to the wonderful art of bonsai and have many questions. I am playing around with Rosemary as it is a herb that I am familiar with. I picked up a marvelous specimen at a local garden nursery in Manitoba in early summer. It was in a 4" pot and was labelled as Foxtail Rosemary. I re-potted into a larger pot with the intention of one day turning it into a bonsai. This particular specimen must have been used as a mother plant, as the trunk is thick and scarred and almost looks like aerial roots. The branches are also thick and scarred. It is very thick and bushy with foliage.

Being in Manitoba, the hardiness zone is 3A, rosemary can definitely be tricky to winter over indoors. I have had success in the past years ago and had an almost two foot rosemary survive for about 4 years.

Hoping someone can give me some tips on this one as I don't want to lose it. The top is still very bushy, not growing very fast, but not visibly suffering either. It is the foliage getting closer to the trunk that I am worried about. Tips of the leaves turn brown on the undergrowth, until eventually the whole leaf turns brown and drops off. So basically, I have lost most of the leaves on the undergrowth.

I know Rosemary typically likes dry conditions, so I have been careful not to over water. I have it growing in a terrarium with an LED light and have checked very carefully for bugs. Not seeing anything.

Any suggestions on what might be causing the problem would be most appreciated.

Last edited by neveryonas on Thu Dec 26, 2013 9:21 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : trying to add pics)

Hello friends, i am very happy, that someone brought this subject up as i have in my garden a beautifull rosemary thought to be around 90 years old, and i am planning collecting it in the near future, but now i realize it is going to be hard risky, and so it will be worth wayting a little longer and get a heated bed and misting system installed in the green house first, here is a picture of the tree...

Oh yes, and I have larch (we call them tamarack),elms,maples and juniper wintering over outside. Want to play inside during these cold winter months. Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs and thought I would give it a go!

[quote="ferdy-san"]Hello friends, i am very happy, that someone brought this subject up as i have in my garden a beautifull rosemary thought to be around 90 years old, and i am planning collecting it in the near future, but now i realize it is going to be hard risky, and so it will be worth wayting a little longer and get a heated bed and misting system installed in the green house first, here is a picture of the tree...

Hi,Can Rosemaries live up to 90 yrs? I thought that their life span is around 15-20. Tarek

The aproximate age of this rosemary was confirmed to me by my next door neighbour, wich is 94 years old, my house was part of his estate, and he can remember about the history of each and every one plant and tree in the grounds, and this one was planted by his father, who grew it from a cutting, it is fascinating how he can remember such details and not remember what he had for dinner yesterday,lol.

Thank you Khaimraj and Ferdy-san for the info. It is weird how many websites says that the lifespan of resemaries are much different than the real one as you guys indicated.I guess I should go directly to the experts from now on.